text: Theranostics, a treatment that combines therapy and diagnosis, is a new trend in precision medicine where the radioisotopes produced at MEDICIS already triggered research projects. The strategy the facility uses is to find an element that has two radioisotopes, used for imaging and therapy separately.
  A promising element for use in theranostics is terbium as it has four different radioisotopes for use in therapy and PET or SPECT imaging. In 2021, Tb radioisotope production was successfully performed with the MELISSA laser ion source, with a 53% ionisation efficiency obtained by MEDICIS-Promed students. Since 2021, three other non-conventional isotopes of interest for PET imaging or therapeutic applications have been produced.
  Exploration of mass separated Sm at MEDICIS using in vitro biological studies showed that the ability for tumors to absorb (uptake) and retain substances (retention) was improved compared to normal tissues. Animal SPECT-CT scans of mice were obtained post-injection and showed cleared activity after twenty-four hours.